MOORESVILLE, North Carolina – Fresh off their best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) finish in more than a month, Tyler Young and his family-owned Young’s Motorsports team is spending the off-week reflecting on the first nine races of 2016.
While not exactly halfway through the schedule, Young’s Motorsports nestled in Mooresville, North Carolina have a lot to not only be thankful for, but proud of too.
Young, the Midland, Texas native started off the season with a huge momentum boost with a career-best sixth place finish in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Following Daytona, three straight finishes inside the top-15 catapulted the No. 02 Young’s Building Systems / Randco Chevrolet to a career high fourth in series points.
However, subsequent finishes of 21st, 19th and 21st at Dover International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway attempted to derail the team’s early season success, but a never-give up attitude kept the team working hard and determined to bounce back.
Two weeks ago at Iowa Speedway, Young kept his word to fellow Texas native Derek Scott Jr. that he would step aside from his nearly two and half year duties inside the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado to allow Scott to complete a lifelong dream of competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Scott, considering his limited experience kept the truck intact and delivered a respectable finish in his debut.
Vowing to prove that stepping aside for one week would have little distraction on his overall focus behind the wheel, the 25-year-old Young returned to the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado at Gateway (Ill.) Motorsports Park this past weekend, where the Texan was competitive from the first practice to the checkered flag, where he recorded a strong 13th place finish and his fifth top-15 in eight races overall.
Moving ahead, Young is insistent that his small team will continue to work hard and bring a capable and competitive product to the track each and every week.
“Our Young’s Motorsports team has never been more strong-minded,” Young said. “They have seen the results we’ve put together so far in 2016 and they are adamant to continue to bring competitive trucks to the race tracks that will allow us to be in the hunt for top-10, top-15 finishes each week.
“We did some regrouping at the start of the season and while it was a big change for us, I think we’ve adapted really well with the changes and really fought for every position whether it be on the track or on pit road. We’ll keep doing what we know how to do and hope it results in more of the same heading to Kentucky Speedway next week and whatever lies ahead.”
While Young, who holds a significant role in the day-to-day operations of his team during the week won’t rule out the opportunity to coach from the sideline again in 2016, he indulges at the thought of another career-best performance this season.
“I think if everything happens, everything works the way we want it to, we could have more shots at top-10s or maybe even a top-five,” added Young. “We’ll see. For now, we’re focused on one race at a time and just out there, race hard and do our job and hope in the end the result will speak for itself.”
While the team is enjoying a solid year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the family-owned and operated team is also building a foundation as a driver development organization where the team specializes on the fundamentals of a core development structure. Debuting Scott at Iowa Speedway added to the inner circle of Young’s Motorsports growth this season which includes a part-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series East program with driver Reid Wilson.
In three highly competitive K&N races this year, Wilson and Young’s Motorsports have earned two top-10 finishes.
“I like the progress of our K&N program,” said Young. “Reid is still learning behind the wheel, but he’s fast. With a little bit more luck and some work from us behind the scenes, hopefully we’ll be able to contend for a top-five by the end of the year.”
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to competition at Kentucky Speedway on Thurs., July 7 for the Buckle Up Your Truck 225. Young has three starts at the 1.5-mile speedway.
For more on Tyler Young, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com or click on his Facebook page. Young is also active on Twitter. You can follow and tweet with him @TylerYoung02.
PHOTO CAPTION: Tyler Young, driver of the No. 02 Young’s Building Systems / Randco Chevrolet Silverado for Young’s Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. (Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images).
